About the Book

Cinderella, Necromancer is Chime meets Anna Dressed in Blood and was inspired by a real medieval grimoire of necromancy from 15th-century Germany.

Ellison lost her mother at an early age. But since then, her father has found love again. He’s happy and doesn’t quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters. When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father’s mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom. Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters’ every whim and fancy.

Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother’s grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival. But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?

As Ellison’s power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster.

Q&A with F.M. Boughan

1- I think it is so neat that this book is based on a real medieval grimoire! How did you come to find out about the grimoire?

One year at Christmas, a family member gifted me a copy of Magic in the Middle Ages, written by a professor at Northwestern University. After reading that book, I sought out additional books by the professor and discovered his work on the grimoire. Naturally, I bought a copy immediately!

2- In your research on that grimoire, what was the most interesting thing you learned?

I found it fascinating that the grimoire was actually marked as belonging to the Royal Library of Munich. It’s important to know that occult magic like this was anathema, totally forbidden, absolutely illegal in every way possible. Hence, these grimoires were hidden away and used under cover of darkness, and if discovered, destroyed immediately. It’s completely mind-boggling that one of these manuscripts not only survived, but was entered into the Royal Library! It should have been burned on sight, not kept and protected! Clearly there’s more to the story of this grimoire than we’ll ever know for sure.

3- Since this story is also a retelling, how did you approach the task of taking a classic work of literature and adapting it into your own story?

I literally printed out paper copies of all the versions of Cinderella I could find, read them, and then went back through to make notes on the commonalities, unique details, and historical elements in each piece. I was also fortunate enough to find some annotated versions online that provided extra insight, which was fun.

4- Which character in CINDERELLA, NECROMANCER did you find the most challenging to write and why?

I don’t spend a lot of time around really young children, so writing Ellison’s six-year-old brother was definitely the hardest for me.

5- Without giving away any spoilers, can you tell us a little bit about what your favorite scene was to write in this book?

My absolute favorite scene is when Ellison finally confronts her stepsisters, and what happens immediately afterward. What she does, and the entrance that someone makes directly after that action, literally had my heart pounding as I wrote it. I didn’t expect that chapter ending, and then it happened, and I had to pause to catch my breath!

6- If you could have a glass of wine with any classic fairy tale character, which one would you choose and why?

I’ll have a root beer, but uh… maybe the princess from The Frog Prince. I’d have a little chat with her about cruelty to animals. After all, if she hadn’t thrown the frog against the wall, she wouldn’t have been saddled with a prince and could have spent her life with a cute frog for a pet instead… what? I like frogs!

7- What are a few of your favorite YA retellings?

If you haven’t read A Thousand Nights and Spindle by E.K. Johnston, you really should. They’re lyrical and poignant, and honestly a must for anyone who enjoys retellings. Ella, Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a classic that stands the test of time (and straddles the MG/YA line, I think), but also I’m always here for anything by Jackson Pearce, Danielle Paige, and Rosamund Hodge.

8- What is the single best piece of writing advice you have ever received?

Finish.

The.

Book.

^_^

About the Author

F.M. Boughan is a bibliophile, a writer, and an unabashed parrot enthusiast. She can often be found writing in local coffee shops, namely because it’s hard to concentrate with a cat lying on the keyboard and a small, colorful parrot screaming into her ear. Her work is somewhat dark, somewhat violent, somewhat hopeful, and always contains a hint of magic. Her debut YA fantasy, CINDERELLA NECROMANCER, publishes Sept. 5th, 2017 from Month9Books. Feel free to yell at her to get back to work on Twitter (@faithboughan), check out her bookstagram (@boughanfire), and sign up for her newsletter (clicky http://fmboughan.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3d0cc1d5cf9db171a538d0647&id=2fdaa951e5) for updates, giveaways, and total randomness.

This is a really unique premise for a retelling! I’ll have to add this to my TBR– thanks for participating in this tour so I could learn about it, Krysti. Has this been added to your TBR too? 😉

F.M. Boughan: Thank you for taking the time to answer Krysti’s questions! This is a really fascinating premise for a book and I loved learning how you came to research more about the grimoire. What inspired you to connect Cinderella specifically to your research and turn this into a retelling?